The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-08-17

two hundred forty-seven miles, the direct
line being two hundred twenty miles. The
bridge through which the train plunged was
avery high wooden structure, which spanned
a creek or branch of the Vermillion river
few miles east of Chatsworth.
No sooner had the wreck occurred than a
scene of robbery began. Some band of mis-
creants began plundering the dead from this
terrible accident, taking even the shoes which
covered their feet Who these wretches
are is not known. Whether they were a
band OF pickpockets who accompanied the
train or some robber gang who were lurking
in the vicinity cannot be said. The horri-
BILE suspicion, however, exists, and there
are many who give 1t credence, that the
accident was deliberately planned case of
train-wrecking; that the bridge was set on
fire by miscreants who hoped to seize the
opportunity offered, and the fact that the
bridge was so far consumed at the time the
train came along and the added fact that
the train was an hour and half late, are
pointed out as evidence of careful con-
spiracy. These fiends in human form went
into the cars underneath and when the
poor wretches who were pinned there
begged them for Gods sake to help them
out stripped them of their watches and
| iewelry and searched their pockets for
money. When the dead bodies were laid
ont in the corn-felds these hyenas turned
! them over in their search for valuables, and
| that the pundering was done by an organ
lied gang was proved by the fact that next
]
! purses, all empty, were found in one heap.
Later reports say that eighty-nine dead
bodies have been recovered, and some if-
| teen OF the injured are expected to die. The
| depot at Peoria was surrounded by five
thousand people, all waiting news from the
wreck The switch-yards had been cleared
| of cars, and along between the rails stood
rows OF cots to receive the dead and wounded
as they were brought in. Near these cots
were backed up perhaps hundred covered
wagons, and beyond the wagons stood one
| hundred fifty soldiers to keep the crowd
back. A committee of one hundred citizens
wearing Grape was stationed at the cots to
take care of the victims. All Peoria is in
| tears There were scores of her best citizens
on the train, among them being many
young women. Everybody says it was the
! jolliest party that ever started on an excur-
sion. They were merry as schoo-children.
Hundreds had been to the train to see their
friends depart but thousands were there to
take their dead bodies away on their re-
turn. All the dead and injured were from
Peoria and vicinity. We omit the list of
names, as it would not be of particular in
| terest to our readers.
AT the investigation important evidence
was given by several witnesses showing
that there was light seen on the track in
the neighborhood of the disaster for two
hours before the train was due. Other evil
dence showed that there was no engine in
sight at that time nor any grass fires This
supports the theory of train-wreCking. Then
the fact that the thieves began their work
so promptly and carried it on so rapidly is
urged as further proof of the train-wrecker
theory Timothy Coughlin, section fore
man, testified that he had four men helping
him on his six and half miles. He received
orders on Wednesday to go over his section
and see that the bridges and tracks were all
| right. Coughin went to the east end of the
section and burned the grass along the
track for half mile He burned a piece
little over half mile from the wreck
and put the fire ont. He examined the
bridge about five o'clock and found no
smoke about it and otherwise it was all
right. About three weeks ago the grass
under the bridge had been cut away for ten
feet from the bridge timbers and he had no
idea how the bridge could have caught fire.
Christopher Ennis, the roadmaster, said he
went over the road on Wednesday from
Fairbury to Gilman. He went over the
fatal bridge just before four o'clock in the
afternoon. He was on the rear end of the
car and saw that the bridge was all right
There was no fire or smoke about the bridge.
Ennis said: My opinion is that the bridge
was set on fire by somebody. My train was
the last train over before the special and if
there was fire the men would have discov-
cred it. The bridge could have burned in two
or three hours About three years ago two
attempts were made to ditch the ten o'clock
train at that bridge and we kept watch
man there for six weeks. DISTINCTIONS
were piled on the track. 1t is a very lone
SDlllt pldtt lar from any mouse. he ELL
gineer of the first engine stated that he was
running between thirty and thirty-tive miles
an hour, but could not tell exactly. He
said he saw danger at the bridge, the APP
pearance being that of burning embers of
Goals 1t was not blazing at the time. There
were more live Goals on the under side of
the bridge. He had no power to stop the
train between the time he saw the fire and
his arrival at the bridge. His engine had
no air brake. Neither whistle was sounded
for anl nft could ha No Hn1h
of the bridge being on fire when the engine
crossed The flames were famed by the
passage of the train
The pecuniary loss arising from the acct
dent is simply enormous. Under the laws
of Illinois the relatives of those killed in
the disaster will, if they have any claim at
all. deplete the treasury of the Toledo,
Peoria & Western of something like $780,
600 and those injured would receive at
least $3.50, 600 more.
Professor Baker of the University of
Illinois says that the incendiary theory is
untenable and that the bridge was probably
burned by prairie fire or by sparks from
the last train that passed over before the
fated excursion. The New York Times cor
respondent charges that the incendiary
theory has been invented by the railroad
people to cover their delinquencies. But
William Hellam, farmer, testified at the
investigation that while standing on the
platform at Chatsworth, waiting with his
son for the Inflated train, he repeatedly saw
peculiar light upon the track about in the
neighborhood of where the train subse-
quently went down. AT first he thought ii
was a fire, but from its disappearance and re-
appearance at intervals during a period of
three hours he came to the conclusion that
somebody was swinging a big lantern, or
that locomotive was moving TO and fro.
This kept up until little while before the
hour the train was due at Chatsworth, and
seemed to him so remarkable that he called
the attention of several people around him
to the fact. Hellams statement was cor
roborated by his son, who with his father,
got on board the train and barely escaped
with their lives and by Mr.. Minskople, a
farmer living within quarter of mile of
the track and who saw what seemed to be
a small fire near the culvert shortly before
midnight. Testimony pointing in the same
direction was given by several other wit
nesses before the inquiry was adjourned.
A Chatsworth special, dated Monday,
says: \ man named Dobbs arrived here
at midnight last night from State Line. He
informed a reporter that last Saturday two
men We're arrested on suspicion of having
fired the bridge where the accident oc-
Cured. They were given a preliminary
examination before a justice of the peace,
and the proof against them was considered
strong enough TO hold them in Jail, pending
further proceedings William Terrell, con-
ductor of a freight-train, confirmed the re-
port and said that the arrests had oc-